Johannesburg - A cold wind blew through most parts of South Africa on Monday with temperatures as low as -6ºC recorded in Williston in the Northern Cape and winds in the upper 60km/h blowing along the country's east coast.

Send us your winter weather photos by clicking here.

As paparazzi snapped holidaymakers frolicking in their skimpy bikinis on beaches and yachts in Europe, South Africans were digging deep into their cupboards for warm coats and beanies and plotting the evening's soup supper.

WeatherSA's predictions for the Eastern Cape were "very cold with snow", "very cold" for the Free State, "very cold with snow and gales" for KwaZulu-Natal, and also "very cold" for Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape.

Several mountain passes in the Eastern Cape were closed due mainly to rainy weather which made the roads slippery, Arrive Alive said.

The affected passes were the R67 between Fort Beaufort and Grahamstown, as well as between Seymour and Whittlesea.

The N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg, the R61 between Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, together with the route between Barkly East and Elliot were also closed.

Flu season may also be upon with us with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases bracketing July 12 to 18 as one of the potential weeks for onset of the illness.

They advised people to cough into a tissue then throw it away and wash their hands afterwards.

If the symptoms did not improve, a visit to the doctor was recommended.